Meeting for Sufferings: The crisis in Syria
Marigold BEntley addressed Meeting for Sufferings on the issue of Syria
Marigold Bentley, of Quaker Peace and Social Witness, addressed Meeting for Sufferings on when and how it was best for Britain Yearly Meeting (BYM) to speak out on an issue. She explained that BYM was prompted to say something when pressing for a change of policy, or a stop to a policy, or to help Friends become aware of a subject. She said BYM always speaks out when Britain is involved in the use of bombing.
Marigold stressed that when ‘signing up’ on an issue BYM had a very rigorous procedure. We should consider: would it affect current mediation or be damaging to a project? Is it a priority issue for BYM? Have we said the same things before? Are we comfortable with the set of words? Are we comfortable with the other ‘signees’? What are the consequences of signing or making a statement?
Leicester Local Meeting recorded a minute calling on the government to continue its involvement, alongside the international community, to stop the bloodshed in Syria and to work for respect for all people in the country, whatever their religion or ethnicity. Friends at Meeting for Sufferings responded to this minute.
Marigold Bentley said Friends had a long connection with Palestine and Israel, through the EAPPI programme and having developed relationships in the region. She said: ‘We have a huge body of knowledge and experience there, but in Syria we having nothing much more than what we see on the news’.
Marigold considered the issue before Meeting for Sufferings as: ‘Do you want to say anything and, if so, what? Who do you want to say it to? What line might you like to take?’
Friends spoke of their concern about the suffering endured by innocent people in Syria and of how they might take this forward.
A Friend suggested finding ways of approaching some of the leaders involved, another of seeing if help could be given to refugees and another of whether it might be beneficial to find a way of talking to people in Iran. Another Friend wondered whether supporting an arms embargo to Syria would be an option. It was suggested that Quakers should ‘work in association with other churches and faith groups who share our position’.
Marigold Bentley responded to some of these suggestions. She reminded Friends that the majority of arms imported by Syria were produced by Russia and China, that the Quaker UN offices are there to influence countries at an international level and that QPSW was not in a resource position to produce a significant response.
Friends, in a draft minute, were urged to seek a better understanding of what is going on, to work at a local level, to write to their local MPs and to make links with Syrian refugees in their communities. It was concluded that a public statement would not be made and that Friends should follow ‘other ways of working’.
